Charlotte Hornets: Who’s the Odd Man out in the Guard Rotation?

LaMelo Ball

Ball is looking every tiny little bit of the team cornerstone that this franchise has most desperately needed. The things he is doing as a rookie are more than what was expected. Ball is averaging 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 44.9% shooting from the field and connecting on38.% of his shots from beyond the arc. His defensive instincts are also better than advertised, and in my opinion, he has the potential to turn into a plus defender in the future. Ball should be the only player safe from being moved or let go.

Devonte’ Graham

Graham brings a calming influence off the bench and can distribute the ball well. There is a reason why most of the Hornets advanced stats and Graham’s On/Off stats prove him to be one of the most important players on the roster. His efficiency has dropped, but his assist numbers have not changed much despite taking a lesser role with the arrival of Ball. His turnover numbers have gotten even better now. Graham is okay with coming off of the bench which shows that he is an unselfish team player. He is taking care of the ball and still knocking down the three-ball after an awful start. Graham averages 13.6 points and 5.6 rebounds off the bench, proving you can plug Graham into smaller or bigger roles and he can still affect the game in a good way for the team. Graham is a restricted free agent after this year, which is something to watch out for as the Hornets sort out how they want to build their team for the remainder of this season and beyond.

Terry Rozier

Rozier is clutch. There’s no way around it. Although he looks lost sometimes on defense, he makes up for it on offense with his elite catch-and-shoot three-point numbers and his ability to take over games. Rozier is second on the team currently with 20.3 points on 48% field goal shooting, as well as slightly above 43% of his threes (49% on catch-and-shoot three-pointers, currently ranked fourth in the league on 3+ attempts per game), and provides scoring that the Hornets sometimes really need. Rozier is under contract for one more year with a base salary of $17.9 million. Rozier makes a solid case as a top-3 player on the team currently.

Malik Monk

Monk is arguably one of the biggest reasons why the Hornets are playing well lately and why they stayed afloat when injuries hit hard recently. Monk provides the spark off of the bench that the Hornets were lacking earlier on the season. With Monk and Graham as the bench backcourt, the Hornets bench is lethal and versatile, something the team has missed for years.

Monk also has elite catch-and-shoot three-point numbers, hitting on 48%, sitting at 7th in the league on players with four or more attempts per game. His 13.4 points off the bench help keep the Hornets competitive in close games. Monk also is a restricted free agent at the end of the year.